Gonville & Caius College

Educational

First founded in 1348 as Gonville Hall and refounded in 1557 by the physician Dr John Caius, Gonville & Caius (pronounced “keys”) is fourth oldest of the 31 Cambridge Colleges and one of the largest in terms of numbers of students and academics. Based around three beautiful courts tucked away in the very centre of Cambridge, the College is known for its excellence in teaching and research, and its exceptionally close student community. Caius boasts 14 Nobel Prize-winners and many famous alumni including the physicist Professor Stephen Hawking; Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule; William Harvey, who first described the circulation of the blood; former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke; comedian Jimmy Carr; and Julie Deane, founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company.

Among the highlights for visitors to Caius are the three magnificent gates representing Humility, Virtue and Honour, designed by John Caius to symbolise the stages of a student’s metaphorical journey while studying. The whitebeams in Tree Court create the only avenue of trees within a Cambridge College court, while the Chapel, dating in part to 1390 and site of the grave of John Caius, is the oldest purpose-built College chapel still in use. Within the Great Gate lies the Crick Memorial, featuring a complex design based on the helical structure of DNA.

Caius is open daily from 9am-2pm, except the summer vacation when opening hours are 8am-noon, Monday to Friday. We are closed during the Christmas break and the last two weeks of August. Admission is free.